06/19/2025
What is Juneteenth, and why do we celebrate it?! ✊🏽✨
📜 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states free.
BUT 😵💫
Texas (a Confederate state) refused to comply — and kept Black people in bo***ge for more than 2 years after the proclamation, illegally. Most enslaved people there had no idea they were supposed to be free. 💔
📣 June 19, 1865 – Union troops finally arrive in Galveston, TX, and announce General Order No. 3:
“All slaves are free.”
So Juneteenth (June 19th) marks the true Freedom Day for many Black Americans. 🎉🫂
⸻
📌 So WHY does this matter today?!
🖤 Freedom wasn’t given — it had to be claimed and enforced. That’s part of our legacy.
❤️ Juneteenth is a celebration of resilience, truth-telling, and the fight for real, lived freedom — not just words on paper.
💚 As a therapist, I believe knowing this history is part of our healing. When we name the trauma, we reclaim our power.
💛 Black liberation includes mental, emotional, and spiritual freedom. We honor our ancestors by protecting our joy, rest, and well-being today.
⸻
Be well, & HAPPY JUNETEENTH! ⛓️💥✨